KUCHING: The Sarawak Schools Sports Council's (MSSS) athletics championships have been postponed in view of the unhealthy air quality in Samarahan.
The state Education Department said the event, scheduled for Aug 10-14 at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) Stadium in Kota Samarahan, will now take place on a later date to be announced in due course.
"We prioritise the health, safety and wellbeing of all athletes and education staff involved in the championships," it said in a statement.
Samarahan recorded an air pollutant index (API) reading of 169 at 1pm on Tuesday (Aug 11), one of 11 areas with unhealthy air quality in Sarawak.
Serian recorded the highest API reading of 190, while the other areas are Kuching (165), Bintulu (159), Samalaju (156), Mukah, Sibu and Sri Aman (all 154), Sarikei (153), Miri (138) and ILP Miri (117).
An API reading of between 0 and 50 is good while 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is unhealthy, 201 to 300 very unhealthy, and 301 and above deemed hazardous.
